The New Distraction Of Auto Industry Touch-Screens

November 22, 2017
By
Wilson & Parlett

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The fact that distracted driving in Maryland is a high-risk activity is
not new information. Typically, one thinks of people talking or texting
on their smartphones when issues of distracted driving arise.

However, there are a multitude of ways in which one may become distracted
while driving.

Infotainment touch-screens create a distraction

Newer information as shared by USA Today, advises that
the technology of vehicle touch-screens may be the new distraction of risk. The AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety
studied 30 infotainment systems available in new cars.

Infotainment systems in vehicles are those that provide music, phone speak,
radio, driving directions and more. All 30 systems produced significant
distraction, but some were more distracting than others. There is a recommendation
that car makers should design their infotainment systems to disable certain
features when the vehicle is in motion, as a strategy to prevent the driver
from seeking to use it at all, thereby eliminating any distraction from
that feature.

Programming directions while driving enhances distraction

For instance, while hearing directions may be worthy, being able to program
those directions into the system while driving may be a feature to disconnect
when the car is in motion. It takes 40 seconds to program the directions.
If traveling 50 miles per hour, a driver will have traveled a distance
equal to that of eight football fields while trying to program in the
directions. That may be a very dangerous amount of time to not have one’s
eyes and mindfully on the roadway.

Less-than-perfect features usage adds to the risk

According to
AAA, more than 60 percent of adults polled want the infotainment screen in
their cars, but less than one quarter felt that it worked properly. Some
of the aspects of the systems are now overly complex, which can disrupt
a driver’s ability to use it easily. Such features increase the
cognitive demands, which then creates even more distraction.

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